Autoblog

Autoblog Giveaway: Win a Step2 Corvette Bed and Dresser! [w/videos]

John Neff — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Etc., Videos, Chevrolet, Toys/Games, Design/Style

If you're like us, you watched Silver Spoons with envy growing up. Ricky Schroder lived in a mansion that was lined with toys, and the item we coveted most was his race car bed. Don't say we never made your dreams come true, because this week we're giving away a Step2 Corvette Twin Bed with working lights and matching Corvette Dresser!

Step2 is a company that makes all manner of injection molded plastic products for the kid in your life: kitchens, jungle gyms, art easels and, yes, a complete bedroom suite of officially licensed Corvette furniture, are among their offered wares. We're offering you the chance to win the Corvette Twin Bed and matching Corvette Dresser, but there's also a Corvette Storage Chest and Room Organizer to complete your set. Check out the videos below for more details.

Click here to enter and make sure to read the rules below.

The Rules:

Click here to enter. Requires that you Like the Autoblog Facebook page. Additional entries can be earned if your friends use a unique URL given to you to enter.
Sweepstakes is open to residents of the United States (excluding Hawaii and Alaska), the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older!
The winner will be chosen randomly. One winner will win a Step2 Corvette Twin Bed and Corvette Dresser valued at $408.99.
If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within five days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, November 21, 2012 at 12:00 PM EST.

Continue reading Autoblog Giveaway: Win a Step2 Corvette Bed and Dresser! [w/videos]

Autoblog Giveaway: Win a Step2 Corvette Bed and Dresser! [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz launches furniture collection in Milan

Noah Joseph — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:59:00 EST

Filed under: Mercedes-Benz, Design/Style, Luxury

Designing a luxury automobile is easily as much about the cabin space as it is about the exterior styling. Mercedes-Benz knows that very well, and as if to showcase what its design department can do outside the confines of a modern automobile, the German automaker is gearing up to launch a collection of furniture at the upcoming Milan Furniture Fair.

A collaboration between the Mercedes-Benz Style division and furniture manufacturer Formitalia, the collection includes items as varied as sofas, dining tables, home theater systems and beds. The pieces are all crafted out of familiar automotive materials like aluminum, glass and wood, with styling details borrowed from automotive design.

Suffice it to say, the items would look right at home in our ever-growing fantasy living room. Check 'em out in the gallery of high-resolution images and renderings released ahead of the show, and the press release below the fold.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz launches furniture collection in Milan

Mercedes-Benz launches furniture collection in Milan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The real Porsche Design entertainment center

Zach Bowman — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:15:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Videos, Porsche

We think there would be considerably more car-themed furniture in the world were it not for the institution of marriage. While we would have no problem flopping the tail section of a 2005 Porsche 911 in the living room in place of an entertainment center and TV stand, something tells us that would be a hard sell to our significant others. While Porsche Design does make some beautiful pieces that we're sure our better halves wouldn't mind owning, we can't see them cottoning on to the efforts of one enterprising individual, who has taken to manufacturing custom TV stands from the rear haunches of certain Porsche models. The entertainment centers apparently use genuine parts from the German manufacturer, right down to the wheels and brake calipers on the rear wheels.

Buyers can order up any color they so please, and the display will accommodate up to a 42-inch flat-screen television that rises from the cars innards at the push of a button. Would we have one if money were no object? Probably not, but there's a chance we'd happily park our posteriors on a '59 Cadillac couch. Hit the jump to check out the Porsche display stand after the jump.

Continue reading The real Porsche Design entertainment center

The real Porsche Design entertainment center originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bentley crafts unique items for charity auction

Noah Joseph — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions, Bentley, Design/Style, Luxury

Every year, Bentley takes part on a fresh crop of student interns, and every year it participates in a charity fundraising event for The Prince's Trust. For 2011, the Bentley Graduates are putting on an auction of items crafted in Bentley's own workshop, and there are more than a few items we would welcome into our homes with open arms.

The selection includes such items as a chess set with machined-tooled aluminum pieces on a veneer board, a table made from a V8 engine block cribbed from a Mulsanne and a pair of lamps made from the cam shaft from a Continental. There's 20 items in all, and each will be displayed at dealerships around the world and at the upcoming Goodwood Revival before going up for auction online at bentleybespokeauction.com.

Check out the selection in the high-res image gallery and follow the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Bentley crafts unique items for charity auction

Bentley crafts unique items for charity auction originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recycled street-sign furniture is uncomfortably cool

Aaron Richardson — Sun, 29 May 2011 18:06:00 EST

Boris Bally Transit Chairs - Click above for high-res image gallery

Industrial designer and artist Boris Bally has taken the urban decay aesthetic to a new level, crafting tables and chairs from worn-out street signs. Bally cranks out everything from high-backed dining-table chairs, to coffee tables, to armchairs.

Bally has been working with metal in one sense or another since he was just 13 years old. Rumor even has it that he cut his teeth in metalworking by building himself throwing stars and brass knuckles.

By using recycled materials, Bally isn't only doing the environment a good turn, he's ensuring uniqueness in each piece of furniture. Bally leaves the source material's patina alone-and makes sure it's visible. Such individualism comes at a price, naturally; chairs start at $1,100 and tables range from $900 to $4500. Have a closer look in the gallery below.

Recycled street-sign furniture is uncomfortably cool originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 May 2011 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Luzzo Bespoke Bugatti desk motors into our fantasy office

Noah Joseph — Tue, 24 May 2011 07:57:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Bugatti, Design/Style

Bugatti Grand Prix desk by Luzzo Bespoke - Click above for image gallery

The Autoblog Fantasy Living Room is getting full, boys and girls. So is our fantasy office. But we just might find room for one more over-the-top, automotive-inspired piece of furniture.

We're talking, in this case, about the Bugatti Grand Prix desk from Luzzo Bespoke. The English interior design company offers a range of extroverted pieces, including desks inspired by such legendary marques Porsche, Lotus, Alfa Romeo and of course Bugatti. The desk in question is decked out in billet aluminum and French racing blue trim, with such touches as mechanical height adjustment by gears that mimic the carburetors on the iconic Type 57, operated by a hand-crank that stows inside a leather case, and a built-in Apple display that recedes into the desk when not in use.

Of course, this being a Bugatti (of sorts), it don't come cheap: the price tag for this example is set at $240,000 - at which point they'll surely make it in any color you want should the blue not be your proverbial cup of tea - with a (relatively) more economic alternative at $65,000. Follow the link to the "Story Behind the Desk" for a more in-depth look into the design and build process, or hop into our image gallery for a closer look.

Luzzo Bespoke Bugatti desk motors into our fantasy office originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fiat 500 Design Collection joins our fantasy living room

Noah Joseph — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Design/Style, Fiat

"Picnic" table from the Fiat 500 Design Collection - Click above for high-res image

Reality is bound by realistic parameters, but fantasy is not. So while there's only so much space in our actual living rooms for everything we'd like to fit in there, in the Autoblog Fantasy Living Room, space is not an issue. There we can fit everything from Aston Martin couches to engine block coffee tables. And we just might round it all out with an item or two from the new Fiat 500 Design Collection.

The items are designed after the original Fiat 500 and crafted as furniture by the innovative interior design company Meritalia in collaboration with Lapo Elkann, the Fiat chairman's brother tipped as a potential future chairman of Ferrari. The collection includes three pieces: the Picnic table (shown above), the Cin Cin bar counter and the Panorama sofa. Each replicates the front end of the original Cinquecento and is available in red, white, green or black. Follow the jump for the (regrettably) Italian-only press release, or follow the link to the collection's dedicated website.

[Source: Fiat]

Continue reading Fiat 500 Design Collection joins our fantasy living room

Fiat 500 Design Collection joins our fantasy living room originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Phantom of the Sofa Rolls in to the Autoblog Fantasy Living Room

Noah Joseph — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 06:59:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce Phantom sofa - Click above for image gallery

We think we'll need a bigger house, because the Autoblog fantasy living room keeps growing. It's already packed with Pininfarina desks, engine-block coffee tables, chairs designed to emulate F1 race cars and so much more. Now we've got a new couch to join those crafted to look like Aston Martins and Porsches.

Encased in the replicated rear end of a Rolls-Royce Phantom, this sofa has got everything from wheels to tail lights and even a workable trunk for ~~keeping a baby~~ storing knickknacks. Of course, in the true Spirit of Ecstasy, it will take up a sizable portion of any living space. You may think it's ridiculous, but we don't doubt there's someone out there willing to shell out the very Rolls-like $5,500 asking price.

Gallery: Rolls-Royce Phantom sofa

[Source: Autogespot via CarScoop]

Phantom of the Sofa Rolls in to the Autoblog Fantasy Living Room originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From Bulgaria to the Autoblog Living Room: the Ultimate F1 Chair

Noah Joseph — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Design/Style

F1 chair by Alexander Christoff - Click above for image gallery

Tell us if this sounds familiar: you're sitting in your lounge chair, maybe watching a race or playing a driving simulator on your gaming console, but in your head you're in a car. What may sound ridiculous or downright childish to some piques the interest of the race fan and car nut.

The Autoblog Fantasy Living Room already includes coffee tables made from Shelby Cobras and engine blocks, sofas from Porsches and Aston Martins, and even a handful of chairs made to emulate car buckets. But this one takes the prize.

Designed by Bulgarian interior designer Alexander Christoff, this chair is made from ergonomically molded fiberglass with chrome legs and an upholstered adjustable head rest to look like the closest approximation of an F1 car in lounge-chair form we've seen yet. No word on availability or cost, but if you remember that whole supply and demand thing, anything's possible. Also, is it just us, or can you picture this chair talking like the crab in the Honda Element ads from a few years ago? Okay, maybe it's just us... carry on.

Gallery: F1 chair by Alexander Christoff

[Source: Behance]

From Bulgaria to the Autoblog Living Room: the Ultimate F1 Chair originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Finally, a good reason to take the bus: BMW street furniture

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:58:00 EST

BMW street furniture - Click above for high-res image gallery

BMW's DesignworksUSA isn't new to the furniture game, but instead of having to take a plane or buy a yacht to sample the creative firm's wares, all you need to do is... take a bus. After two years of consultations with Landscape Forms, a company specializing in outdoor site furniture, Designworks created a 7-piece selection of furniture for public transport spaces called "metro 40."

The seven pieces are broken down into categories: connect, rest, ride, collect, hi glo, lo glo, and show. Together, they cover everything you'd generally need to do at a bus stop: sit down, get under cover, lock up a bike, throw things away, and see things.

The point of the pieces is to enhance "the overall perception of inner cities with high traffic density and to convey a personal atmosphere to these particular areas." Not hard to do when the furniture outside is nicer than the furniture in your own house. But if we can make a suggestion: since it's public transport, where's the bar? You can read about metro 40 in the press release after the jump and check out the goods in the high-res gallery of photos below.

Gallery: Metro 40 by BMW DesingworksUSA and Landscape Forms

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading Finally, a good reason to take the bus: BMW street furniture

Finally, a good reason to take the bus: BMW street furniture originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shelby Cobra coffee table joins the Autoblog fantasy living room

Noah Joseph — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

The Autoblog fantasy living room keeps on growing fuller (and tackier) by the day. And while we may pine for the occasional item from our growing list, most of the time we're thankful our significant others (or our own sense of good taste combined with our blogger's budgets) keep us from going overboard.

Our virtual furniture shop already includes such items as Porsche 917, Aston Martin DB6 and custom hot rod couches, tables made from reclaimed body panels and engine blocks, chairs made from sportscar seats and others made to emulate F1 seats, desks made by Mini and Pininfarina, Jaguar engine wine racks, Maserati lamps and Ferrari audio systems - not to mention whatever those Bentley craftsmen are making in their spare time. And now we've got one more to add to the list: the Shelby Cobra coffee table.

We certainly hope they didn't chop up an original Cobra to make it, but whether it's fabricated from kit-car parts or made especially as a piece of furniture is beyond us (our money's on the latter, though). Either way, it's got the whole package: grille, headlamps, hood, badge, plus a glass table-top mounted on metal poles like some sort of experimental aerodynamic device. (We've seen stranger.) But it'll set you back a solid $1,124.24 from StatueDecor, which we'll excuse for mischaracterizing the Cobra as a Chevy (gasp!) amidst the other automotive shelves, sofas and bars on offer.

[Source: StatueDecor]

Shelby Cobra coffee table joins the Autoblog fantasy living room originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: $45,000 hot rod couch

Chris Tutor — Thu, 14 May 2009 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions, Etc.

eBay hot rod art couch- Click above for an image gallery

Loving all that is automotive is slightly different than living all that is automotive. One of the distinguishing factors is how automotively-influenced your furniture is. If you bought your sofa because it reminds you of your M3's upholstery, you're in the love group. If, however, you can actually drive your furniture, you, my friend, are living it.

But our eBay Find of the Day defies simple categorization. It's a fully-functional couch that resembles something Boyd Coddington might have sketched while doing shots after having his eyes dilated. The outrageous sunset orange pearl paint covers a hand-formed, all-metal body with working headlights and leather seating surfaces. But it doesn't even have wheels, much less do burnouts on the street. With a starting bid of $45,000, shouldn't it at least do that?

The auction description says that the, um, unique sofa can be taken apart to "fit in most rooms." We can tell you right now that our spouses will quickly disqualify "most rooms" in our houses. We aren't even allowed to have the six-speed plunger in our throne rooms. The seller's name, cartisticdesigns, is from London, Ontario, also the home of Cartistic Designs autobody repair. Maybe the auction should say it would "fit in most autobody repair shops. Auction ends May 16, but so far, it looks like nobody's spouse has given the $45k approval.

Thanks for the tip, Rico!

eBay Find of the Day: $45,000 hot rod couch originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 May 2009 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Simplicity in Motion: Formula.Chair by Matthias Demacker

Noah Joseph — Mon, 11 May 2009 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

Formula.Chair by Matthias Demacker - Click above to view in an image gallery

Typically, F1-inspired merchandise is anything but simple. Whether crafted out of spare parts from the paddock or trimmed in carbon fiber, weight-wise, less may be more, but design-wise that's seldom the case.

Which is why the award-winning Formula.Chair is a refreshing change. The ultra-thin, lightweight stacking chairs were designed by Matthias Demacker to mimic the shape of the molded seats found in Formula One cars. Fabricated by Area DeClic, the award-winning chairs can be had in an array of colors, with or without upholstery, and in a variety of formats. Guess we've found one (or several) more innovative pieces of furniture to add to the Autoblog living room... so pull up a Formula.Chair, put your feet up on the engine block coffee table and make yourself at home.

Gallery: Formula.Chair by Matthias Demacker

[Source: Minimalismi]

Simplicity in Motion: Formula.Chair by Matthias Demacker originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 May 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fiat and Cappellini offer special edition 500 ahead of launch

Noah Joseph — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:06:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Marketing/Advertising

Most special editions are offered to help manufacturers clear out the last run of an outgoing model before the replacement arrives. The smallest cars on the market, though, seem to have it backwards. When Smart introduced its new ForTwo city car, the special edition came not on the outgoing model, but on the incoming one. Now Fiat has revealed that, in advance of the introduction of the highly-anticipated 500, it will be offering a limited edition of its own.

Think the 500 looks no bigger than a large arm chair? Well, you're not far off. The special Cinquecentos are being offered exclusively during the International Milan Furniture Fair (April 18-23), as part of a promotion staged in conjunction with the Italian design house Cappellini. Two special versions - one in light blue and one in pearl white - will be offered to visitors of the "500 Lounge" at the Cappellini Temporary Store at the Piazza San Babila in downtown Milan, who can sign a non-binding inquiry to have their name placed on the list, later to be contacted by Fiat with pricing information and the option to buy or withdraw.

The Cappellini display will also feature a 250-square-meter autostethoscopic system at the entrance to the store, where interested customers can customize a virtual 500 on computer and then step inside the box to see a full-size 3D projection of what their car would look like, taking the "500 Wants You" campaign to a new level. Only 500 of the special editions will be made, and each will receive a special number plate and special badging.

Check out the press release after the jump for more details.

[Source: Fiat]

Continue reading Fiat and Cappellini offer special edition 500 ahead of launch

Fiat and Cappellini offer special edition 500 ahead of launch originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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